Home Doctor: Dealing with Tiredness

Also read , How to get a good night sleep

Everyone feels tired once in a while, whether its from physical exhaustion or from stress, we all get it once in a while . A good nights sleep usually solves the problem, but not always sometimes tiredness can be overwhelming and no matter what you do it just doesn’t stop. And since we all can agree that it is a worldwide issue I thought I’d discuss it:

What you can do yourself

• Even when your very busy get enough sleep every night 7 hours is best for total relaxation so you don’t feel like you overslept or that you didn’t sleep enough. If you keep on putting off your sleep for the weekend your sleep routine will mess up
• Never miss breakfast and add fresh fruits, veggies, cereals bread rice and pasta to your everyday diet. Cut down on sugar and caffeine they might wake you up for the second but they will make you breakdown later on .
• Make sure your not overweight or underweight . Your weight can definitely affect your rest
• If you have some sort of sickness that may make you sleepy , try laying in bed and resting before doing anything that may make you tired (see blog post on curing the common cold)
• If its stress that’s killing you , then be sure to make more leisure time for yourself (see blog post on stress)

Practical Technique

Power napping! If you find yourself nodding off during the day a brief nap may help you function better

• An ideal nap lasts 10-15 mins but even a 5 min nap will leave you brighter. But if you sleep for more than 30 mins it may ruin your sleep at night
• Take a daily nap at the same time each day so your body gets used to the routine . Use an alarm clock if your worried about oversleeping , but eventually your body will get use to it
• Don’t nap too late or sleep while watching Tv, and don’t take naps to catch up on sleep if you are having difficulty sleeping

Seek further medical advice if:

1. Tiredness is persistent and sleep doesn’t help
2. You often feel tired for no reason
3. You still feel tired after trying these methods for 2-3 weeks or you develop other symptoms

Resources from Home Doctor By Dr Michael Peters and the Internet 

 

 

 

 

Home Doctor:How to deal with the common cold

Oh God how I hate colds, they just put you down and get you all tired and lazy. I have just caught a cold recently and it has been irritating me to death! So I thought I’d share with you some of the things I did for myself, and learned through research about curing and dealing with one! Hope it helps!

Colds are common infections of the nose and throat that can be caused by more than 200 different highly contagious viruses . You are likely to pick up at least one or two a year (in my case one or two a month!) usually from the coughs and sneezes of infected people.

Typical Symptoms: Blocked or runny nose,sneezing,reduced sense of taste or smell, sore throat,dry cough,headache and mild fever. Colds are more serious in babies and elders

What you can do for yourself

• Drink at least 7 glasses of warm liquids a day such as soups or fruit tea. For a sore throat make a warm honey and lemon drink
• Take a pain killer or a cold remedy to relieve discomfort
• Try a steam inhalation to clear a stuffy nose, it really works for me. Just boil some warm water and put a towel over your head then stand over the bowl of water
• antihistamines may help to relieve a runny nose and help with sneezing
• Stay in bed for a while to relax your body, but NOT for too long or your body will weaken even more
• Stay away from direct contact with the air conditioner , it always makes me feel 10 times worse!

Natural Remedies

• Zinc lozenges: Taken early in a cold may help to shorten illness . It might also cause a bad taste or nausea

See doctor if:

• Your cold lasts more than 10 days
• You develop severe sore throat or high fever
• You have earache or face pain and/or yellow or green discharge

Researched online and from “Home Doctor by Dr Michael Peters”

 

 

 

The beauty book: Eat your way to better skin

What you put inside your body is as important as what you put on the outside when it comes to skin (and everything else) Here’s what  you need

Vitamin A

Not only is it a powerful antioxident but Vitamin A also strengthens skin cells . If you are lacking in it your skin may be drier and flakier than normal. You can get your daily dose from fruits and veggies that are high in an ingredient called beta carotene which your body turns into vitamin A.

Vitamin C

Collagen is one of the most important substance in the structure of the skin. Its what keeps it firm and well toned.To feed collagen you need vitamin C . Vitamin c can be found in many fruits and veggies, although most people think it’s find mostly in oranges, Kiwi’s are also very rich in vitamin C. Eat four or five down in a day and you’ll be dramatically boosting your skin health (and your health as well)

Iron:

Low iron levels in the body lead to reduced oxygen in the blood and this can be the cause of pale skin and dark circles under your eyes. In order to get more iron eat lean red meat and plenty of dark green leafy veggies (personally i love spinach:p)

Zinc:

Zinc is a mineral that is vital for healing the skin and reducing acne! You can find zinc in shellfish hard crumbly cheeses nuts and seeds.

Essential fatty acids:

Dry skin often occurs when women start to go on low fat diets and lack essential fat! So eat oily fish,nuts,and seeds which also contain vitamin E!

Water:

Water keeps the skin cells plump and every process in the skin needs water to start it. Without enough water  in your skin you will never have a healthy glow! Try to at least drink 8 glasses a day , (I can drink like 4 😦 ) but you should try to reach at least 8 a day to stay healthy and maintain perfect skin!

What you DONT need:

• Salty foods:These dehydrate the skin and have a lot of iodine in them which trigger acne!
• Caffeine: Every cup of coffee needs 3 cups of water to process it through the system . Caffeine increases the level of stress hormones ! Which aren’t really good for anything!
• Hydrogenated fats: Found in processed foods and margarines they are believed to start free radicals in the skin